Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding (with photos)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Thought I'd share this wonderfully delicious and simple recipe for self-saucing chocolate pudding. It is always a hit with the children and is greedily devoured within minutes.

For the sponge:

1/4 cup margarine
1/2 sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self raising flour or 1 cup plain/all purpose flour + 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk

For the sauce:

1/2 cup light brown sugar (I use Hawaiian Turbinado)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
300ml (1 cup + 1/4 cup) hot water

1. Cream together the margarine and sugar and then beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Add the flour and cocoa and mix as well as possible before adding the milk and mixing until smooth.
3. Spoon the sponge batter into a greased ovenproof dish or pyrex bowl.
4. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a jug and then carefully pour this over the sponge batter. It will look like something went horribly wrong but what will happen is that the cake will rise above the sauce and the sauce will thicken at the bottom of the dish under the cake.

1. Bake at 350 deg F/180 deg C/Gas mark 4 for about 40 mins. The cake will be spongy and will bounce back if you touch it and you will be able to see some of the sauce bubbling up the sides of the dish.
2. Leave for 10 mins or so cool a little and then serve. Add a scoop of ice cream if you like and enjoy!